Shared Photo: Top of the World, NYC, 1930

Question

National Archives Flickr Albums. Top of the World! NYC 1930. The easily recognizable photo of the construction on the Framework of the Empire State Building. The magnificent Chrysler Building towers off to the right. Remember, on 29 Oct 1929, famously known as Black Tuesday, the stock market crashed, the country was just in the beginning of the ten year Great Depression; yet they built the building anyway. The Flickr page suggests that the photo was taken in 1936. That year cannot be correct since the Empire State Building opened on 1 May 1931, completed in just 410 days. The creator compiled the series that included this photo from 1936-1940, per the persistent URL. The photo was certainly taken in 1930. Retrieved 13 Oct 2016.

Photographer: Lewis Hine

Wikipedia page for the Empire State Building.

Repository: Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, MD. Public domain image; free of copyright.

I wanted to share a photo from DuBois Copyright Free & CC Image Cabinet with the community. Location: New York City. Date: 1930.

Click here for the image details page or here for the full-sized version (3000 x 2386).

Answer 1

Wow I must mention I think this man but have ice in his stomach, to do a job sitting op on so high a building I am really impressed. I would be scared, I has to admire this man.

Those old days it was actually dangerous to go to work.

Thank again for sharing this amazing photo

Comments

You're welcome, Susan. It is said that five men died on the construction project. Thanks for sharing.

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These days, it's STILL dangerous for people to go to work if they are tower technicians - those are the folks who regularly climb the towers to work on the equipment that provides our wireless lives - cell phones, tablets, internet services, etc.

I have 2 clients (I develop their websites) whose organizations support the tower climbers and their families.  One is Hubble Foundation, which provides support to families of fallen workers and the other is PATWA (Professional American Tower Workers Association).  Hubble Foundation runs an annual fundraising Golf Tournament.  The foundation was started by a woman whose husband died when a tower collapsed.  The work done by both of these organizations is truly amazing.

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Thanks for sharing about these fine groups, Gaile.

Answer 2

Well, I'm not normally afraid of heights, but I have to admit that is incredible- real respect to someone who can do that, and who on earth is these with him taking the photograph!

Absolutely outstanding picture!

Comments

Thanks for sharing, John and the photographers name was Lewis Hine.